2016-02-27 Sat

To commemorate the 125th anniversary of the Forth Bridge, Britain's first ever plastic banknotes were issued in Scotland in March, last year.

Clydesdale Bank issued two million of the new notes made from polymer. The notes feature an image of the bridge and another of the Scottish engineer Sir William Arrol, whose company was responsible for its construction. The new security features to make forgery difficult include a transparent window that changes colour as the note is tilted.

In December 2015, the Bank of England announced that it has plans to issue plastic banknotes for the first time from 2016, when a new £5 note featuring Sir Winston Churchill will appear.

Research showed the plastic notes are far better than paper notes as they are cleaner, more secure, durable and environmentally friendly. The polymer notes are made of a thin, flexible plastic film which can feel slippery when new over time becomes less slippery once the notes are in circulation.

Countries like Mexico, Singapore, Canada and Australia had introduced polymer notes in 1988.